


A Quiet Evening

by GreyWardenCousland



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Dragon Age AU, Female Friendship, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hair Brushing, Mages (Dragon Age), Platonic Female/Female Relationships, Platonic Relationships, alternative universe, multiwarden au, platonic prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-27 02:18:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17757932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyWardenCousland/pseuds/GreyWardenCousland
Summary: A quick multi-Warden AU where my Evie Surana and magpiesandmabari's Yana Surana have a quiet evening. Teasing, friendship and hair brushing ensured.I adore Yana and her creator to bits, please go check her out here and on tumblr! It was her prompt that got this made!





	A Quiet Evening

**Author's Note:**

  * For [magpiesandmabari](https://archiveofourown.org/users/magpiesandmabari/gifts).



'Stay still' Evie grumbled, kneeling up on the rug behind Yana and poking the other woman in the shoulder. She couldn't see the frown but she could almost feel it, no least by the slight flaring of the fire in their little hearth. 'And none of that.'

'None of what?' Yana chimed up in a voice so innocent Evie almost believed it.

Almost. 

She sighed and picked up her brush, feeling its now familiar weight in her hand. It had been a while since they had both left the Tower, and it had taken most of that time for Evie to learn how to let her guard down even a little, to accept the things which non-mages took for granted. That brush was a symbol of the changes they had gone through together - a fanciful whim, fine-bristled and mother-of-pearl handle wrapped in silver filigree, the sheer decadence of owning such an item was something they could have only dreamt of in the Tower. Another sigh left her lips and she shook her head as if to dislodge the waters of melancholy from her being. 

Instead, she busied herself with their shared ritual. Yana was still by now, and Evie gently parted her long, black locks, still damn from the bath - once and once again and again, until the strands were no more than a palm's width thick. The bristles made the softest of whispers as they ran through, untangling and separating the silk of her hair so the fire could do the rest, working her way around and settling the dry strands back over Yana's shoulder. 

She knew Yana's road had been just as hard, although the other woman hid it well. Much better than her, she thought a slight reprimand to herself. She saw the tightness around her friend's eyes when they passed each Chantry and its armoured protectors, the straightness of her back, the almost arrogant set to her eyebrows. The unabashed flirting and sharp wit which she used in the place of armour to hide the wounds of her soul. It was no easy childhood, and their magic had manifested so young they were barely old enough to remember their lives before. Yana sometimes spoke of that, in hushed whispers by the fire while Evie told stories of her and Anders' adventures. Always in the cloak of darkness, which made sharing such bittersweet pain gentler, suspended them in a capsule which would melt away in daylight and allow them both to feign ignorance, not have to look at the sadness too closely lest it swept them away. It was no wonder Yana and Alistair had hit it off so well when they employed their humour with such sharp accuracy, carefully deployed to distract and appease.  

Evie counted the strokes, only speaking each tenth's number so not to distract them both. She could feel Yana relax, her shoulders losing some of their regal bearing when subjected to the repetitive motions of the brush and the heat of the fire calling to something inside them both. She had always admired that about Yana, even as children in tangential friendship groups - inasmuch as those friendships could exist within the confines of their upbringing.

It had been odd, finding herself in the company of another Circle mage so soon after leaving her former life behind. Odd, but not unpleasant, although at times, it had been more than she could bear and brought unwelcome reminders of all that she had lost, and more still that she had never had. But in the end none could understand their grief better than a kindred spirit who had lived through it all and had survived, and she had learned to take comfort in their shared memories and fears. Evie could not say for certain, and she would not have believed the other woman had she confessed to such a thing, but she hoped dearly that she had provided the same solace to her.

She smiled as Yana fidgeted again, clearly annoyed at herself for growing drowsy under Evie's ministrations. 

They could not do this every night, of course. Oftentimes they went to bed the minute their tents were pitched, huddled in the damn darkness, cursing the air blue and nearly setting fire to their bedrolls in sheer consternation. Swearing - alongside fun, Yana liked to chip in - was one of the many things she had given up once Anders left, but that she was regaining thanks to her friend's influence. The other companions of their little makeshift family had learned quickly that they shared more than just their heritage; putting two pyromancers together, where they could build up on and off of each other's emotions and power, could only go on for so long before their budgets were stretched too thin. But they had learned just as quickly that the two women complemented each other well in temperament as well as attitude, and they had grown as close as sisters during their travels. 

But tonight was a rare treat. Tonight, they had used their most recent job's earnings well and Yana and Leliana had negotiated them into several rooms at the nearest inn. She was sure the others felt them quite simple accommodations, but they were clean, the beds were soft and the fire was warm. 

'Lel asked if you were planning to grow your hair out.'

She was brought out of her reverie and her hands stilled as she tried to make sense of the words, heard but not understood. 'My hair?' She resisted the urge to touch it.

Yana shrugged, but the grin resonated in her voice. 'Mm. She was wondering if you’d keep it this short, or grow it back like you had it when she first met you.' There was a pause, and Evie was entirely certain it was for effect, despite the feigned pensiveness of her next words. 'This 'frames your face so prettily', were her exact words, I believe.'

Evie resumed brushing her friend's hair at what she hoped was the same pace. 'I haven't given it much thought,' she lied with practiced ease. 

Yana, of course, saw right through it.

'She helped you cut it, didn’t she? Back in Lothering?'

'I believe she did, yes.'

Her tone was steady, her breathing slow. Deliberately slow. Yana was grinning again. 

'Do you remember that night after she did? I think that's when we first started this.' She gestured with the brush, knowing Yana could not see it but would likely understand. 'I believe I'd had another nightmare and set fire to your boots.'

Yana's sigh was weary. 'You know, I still haven’t quite forgiven you for that. They were so lovely...'

'You you’ve mentioned, my dear. Quite often.' She pulled her back a little to get her in range of her brush. 'And you were on guard duty and took out this horrible little comb and started brushing my hair. You said it was to get the stray bits out from after the haircut.'

'It was not a horrible little comb,' Yana huffed in mock indignation. 'It was standard Circle issue and the same as yours, if you’ll remember.'

Evie paused long enough to go over Yana's long hair with a few cursory brushes, to neaten any strays, and begun to braid it. She knew Yana didn't like it braided, but she was feeling petty enough to wind her up and Yana was distracted. 

'Anyway,' she intoned, 'it was nice of you and I think I should thank you.'

'You're welcome.'

There was yet another pause.

'So when are you planning on kissing Leliana?'

 


End file.
